(201) Magazine Blogs

Friday, February 25, 2011

Rex wows ‘em at the Combine

As usual, Rex Ryan was the top soundbite today, this time at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Consider that it was pretty much standing room only when Ryan took the podium, as he drew a far bigger attendance of media members than any other speaker.
And when Jets’ general manager Mike Tannenbaum followed Ryan to the podium, over half the reporters left the room.
What else can someone do once the headliner has left the room?
As always, Ryan filled notebooks and generated plenty of soundbites with his outsized personality and championship boasts. Before he was asked a question, he guaranteed a Super Bowl win. Of course, nobody yet can guarantee there will be a Super Bowl in Feb. 2012 considering the potential lockout, or what the Jets’ roster might look like once the NFL has a new economic landscape.
“I thought we’d win it the first two years. I’ll guarantee we’ll win it this year,” said Ryan, who has taken the Jets to the AFC title game in both seasons since taking over.
“I know we’re an excellent football team, we’ve got a great organization,” he added. “This is not something I just believe in ... it’s something a whole bunch of people want.”
When he was asked if his guarantees lose their effectiveness if they don’t come true, he responded, “I’m not the smartest guy of all time and the sharpest tack. And guarantee? I don’t know. I just know how I feel.
“The reason I think we’re going to win is we’re going to lock arms and we’re going to find a way to get it done,” Ryan said, “players coaches and fans.”
Hmmmm. If getting in a circle and singing “Kumbaya” was the way to a championship, don’t you think somebody would’ve stumbled upon that by now?
***
In actual news, Mr. T said the Jets have no plans to use the transition tag on any players, and he hoped to determine what will be done about LB Jason Taylor and DE Vernon Gholston by next Thursday. Taylor sounded like a man on the verge of retirement after the loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC title game, and Gholston has been a major bust, of course.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Jets slap franchise tag on Harris—-UPDATED

The Jets placed the franchise tag today on star ILB David Harris, as expected. Harris, a second-round pick from Michigan in 2007, has played four seasons for the Jets.
However, despite the Jets’ action, it is uncertain whether the tags will be valid without a new collective bargaining agreement. The NFL and NFL Players Association are divided on this issue, with the NFLPA saying franchise tags won’t be valid without a new CBA.
The franchise tag at Harris’ position was worth $9.6 million last season, meaning he could make close to $10 million if the tag is deemed to be valid. Harris is due to become a free agent. The franchise tag also could buy some time for the Jets if they decide they want to sign Harris to a long-term deal this year, which also is a possibility.
Harris’ agent, Brian Mackler, indicated he knew this move was coming, and had advised Harris to expect it.
“It’s a procedural move that they had to do,” Mackler said, “based on the CBA climate that we’re in. This, in no way, precludes us from our ultimate goal, which is to get David signed to a long-term contract with the Jets.”
Mackler said the current labor uncertainty makes negotiating “very difficult,” adding, “nobody knows what the future holds. … Nobody knows what the [economic] landscape is going to be.”
Harris had 99 tackles and three sacks last season and was voted the Jets’ MVP by his teammates. Harris was the only member of the Jets’ so-called “Core Four” of key 2006 and 2007 draft picks to not receive a new contract from the Jets before last season. C Nick Mangold, CB Darrelle Revis and LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson all got new deals before the 2010 season.
Jets’ GM Mike Tannenbaum said recently that re-signing Harris was a “priority” for the team, which also figures to have several other big-name free agents which they could potentially re-sign. Those players include WRs Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith and CB Antonio Cromartie.
The Jets last used the franchise tag in 2006, on defensive end John Abraham. He was later traded to Atlanta in a three-way deal with Denver which netted the Jets the 29th overall pick in the 2006 draft, which they used to select Mangold.

Jets hire new strength coach

The Jets hired Bill Hughan as their new strength and conditioning coach today. Hughan, who spent the last three seasons as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for Atlanta, replaces Sal Alosi, who resigned Jan. 31. Alosi had tripped Miami’s Nolan Carroll during a Jets’ punt return on Dec. 12, and also had ordered inactive players to form a wall along the sideline.
Here’s the Jets’ new release: The New York Jets today announced the hiring of Bill Hughan as the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Bryan Dermody, who was hired last season as a strength and conditioning coaching assistant, will be retained as the assistant strength and conditioning coach. The announcements were made by Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan.
Hughan (Springfield College/Oxford, CT) joins the Jets after three seasons as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to his time with Atlanta, he was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Oakland Raiders (2004-07).
Before coaching in the NFL, Hughan was an assistant on the collegiate level, serving as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Missouri (2001-03), a graduate assistant at Columbia University (1999-2000) and an assistant coach at Yale University (1997-98). He also worked for the Omaha Royals, formerly the Golden Spikes, the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, between his years at Columbia. He graduated with a degree in exercise science from Springfield College, where he also played hockey. Hughan then earned his graduate degree in applied physiology at Columbia University.
Dermody (Lakeland College/Greenfield, WI) joined the Jets coaching staff in March 2010, after spending four seasons as the assistant director of athletic development for the University of Louisville football team. Prior to his time at Louisville, he was the head strength coach at Drake University (2006) and spent six seasons as an intern and then as assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Iowa (2000-05). Dermody was a three-year starter at outside linebacker for Lakeland College, where he was a team captain and graduated with a degree in exercise science.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Jets deny pemission to talk to Callahan

The Jets denied Tennessee permission to speak to Jets’ offensive-line guru Bill Callahan about the Titans’ offensive coordinator job, according to a report on espn.com. Callahan, whose official title with the Jets is assistant head coach/offensive line is a key cog in the offense for the work he has done in molding the O-line into one of the best such units in the NFL, and he also helped with the rapid maturation in 2010 of second-year LG Matt Slauson, who did a terrific job replacing Alan Faneca.
And this isn’t the first time the Jets have done something like this during this off-season. They also denied DBs coach Dennis Thurman a chance to interview for Oakland’s defensive coordinator job.
Really, the Jets probably did both men a favor. Both of those organizations aren’t exactly stable.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Jets sign K Novak, two LBs

The Jets announced today they have signed K Nick Novak, to a reserve/future contract, apparently to provide competition for [or perhaps replace] sometimes erratic K Nick Folk. Novak has played 22 NFL games since 2005, going 19-for-30 [63.3 percent] on FG attempts for Washington, Arizona and Kansas City. Novak played in the UFL last season with the Florida Tuskers. Folk is scheduled to become a free agent. The team also signed LBs Brandon Long and Garrett McIntyre, neither of whom has NFL experience.

Monday, February 07, 2011

Jets leaning toward franchising Harris

The Jets are likely to place the franchise tag on ILB David Harris, a source has confirmed.
Harris was voted the team MVP in 2010 by his teammates and is the only member of the so-called ‘Core Four’ of 2006 and 2007 draft picks to not receive a new contract from the Jets. C Nick Mangold, CB Darrelle Revis and LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson all got new deals before the 2010 season.
Teams can start using the franchise label Feb. 10, but it is uncertain whether the tags will stick without a new CBA. As they do in many instances, the NFL and NFLPA are divided on this issue, with the NFLPA saying franchise tags won’t be valid without a new collective bargaining agreement.
Harris had 99 tackles and three sacks in his fourth season.
ESPN first reported this.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Martin doesn’t make Hall

Curtis Martin didn’t get the phone call he was hoping for Saturday.
Martin, who had an outstanding career as a running back with the Jets and New England, was one of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2011, but didn’t make it.
This was the first appearance on the ballot for Martin, who retired after the 2005 season because of a knee injury.
“I’m excited about it, to be mentioned in the last 15,” he had said Tuesday in a conference call. “I’ll definitely be anticipating the answer, whether it’s yes or no.”
Martin had said that if he doesn’t make it on the first try, “I’m totally prepared for that. I’m the type of guy that takes things as they come. ... If I get in, I’ll be elated. If I don’t, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the voting system.”
Martin, who began his career with the Patriots in 1995, finished with 14,101 rushing yards, fourth on the NFL’s all-time career list. He signed with the Jets as a restricted free agent before the 1998 season because he wanted to play for Bill Parcells, who had coached the Patriots for Martin’s first two seasons. Martin had said Tuesday that if he got in, he would have Parcells introduce him at the induction ceremony this summer.

Friday, February 04, 2011

Sanchez says he won’t need surgery

Here’s the AP story: Sanchez spoke before a promotional appearance in the Metroplex area:
Mark Sanchez won’t need surgery on his injured right shoulder.
The Jets quarterback said tonight doctors told him rest and mild rehabilitation would be enough to return the shoulder to full strength.
Sanchez was injured when the Jets won at Pittsburgh on Dec. 19, but the shoulder wasn’t a factor in New York’s run to the AFC championship game. The Jets lost the title game to the Steelers, who play Green Bay in the Super Bowl.
Sanchez said a second MRI soon after the playoff loss showed swelling and bruising in the shoulder had improved enough to avoid a second surgery in two offseasons for Sanchez. He had left knee surgery last year.
“They were just really pleased with the way things healed,” Sanchez said before a promotional appearance in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine.
The second-year pro said team physician Kenneth Montgomery was the only doctor he visited, but Montgomery sought opinions from several others.
Sanchez said he will continue some of the exercises he used to stay on the field during the season and will visit Montgomery again before the labor agreement expires March 3. He said he would probably start throwing again “soon.”
The injury didn’t affect Sanchez’s playoff performance. He threw for 616 yards and five touchdowns and only one interception with a 95.5 quarterback rating in going 2-1.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Curtis Martin talks Hall of Fame

Just got off a conference call with former Jet RB Curtis Martin, one of 15 finalists for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame membership class. As usual, he was thoughtful, insightful and humble, yet very interesting at the same time. Yes, you can be an interesting quote without trash talking or blowing your own proverbial horn.
Anyway, here are some of the nuggets from the call:
Martin, who never was very big on touting his own accomplishments, said, ‘this is for me something that has affected me totally different than other individual accomplishments. I don’t see this as an individual accomplishment. It takes a lot of hard work from a lot of people.
‘I didn’t know I would care about it as much. ... I’m excited about it, to be mentioned in the last 15.
‘I’ll definitely be anticipating the answer [Saturday], whether it’s yes or no.’
He said that if he doesn’t get in on the first try, ‘I’m totally prepared for that. I’m the type of guy that takes things as they come.
‘If I get in, I’ll be elated. If I don’t, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the voting system.’
Martin, who grew in a very rough neighborhood in Pittsburgh, only came out for football in his senior year of high school because his mother pushed him to, to get away in the afternoon from what he called a ‘horrible neighborhood.’
He rattled off names of Hall of Fame RBs Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders and said, ‘just to be mentioned with those names is kind of mind-boggling to me because that was never my plan.’
As for his career, he cited as his most memorable moment the Jets’ loss to Denver in the 1998 AFC title game, calling it ‘heartbreaking.’ He said he almost didn’t sign with the Jets as a restricted, because he thought the organization wasn’t very good. But in the end, he couldn’t turn down mentor Bill Parcells, who had coached Martin for his first two seasons in New England before moving on to the Jets. And not surprisingly, he said Parcells will present him at the induction ceremony if he gets in.
He had kind words for all the owners he played for, from Woody Johnson to Leon Hess and his family to New England’s Robert Kraft, who called him this morning to wish him well. He recalled going to the Krafts’ house during the Jewish holidays as a rookie and enjoying the chicken soup made by Kraft’s wife. He added that his three years with the Patriots was ‘the best foundation I could have had as an NFL player.’
As for what he’s doing now, he said he was recently married and feels good physically, saying he takes ‘no pills’ and has ‘very little pain. I still work out pretty vigorously’ and that includes boxing at the gym, he noted.
‘I feel I could come out and play if I had to.’
I asked him if he still wants to get back into the league on the ownership side, a goal of his for quite some time. He said he turned down two opportunities and believes that was the right decision, likening it to being a running back.
‘You know how to be patient and wait for the right hole,’ he said.

Alosi resigns

The Jets have announced that suspended strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi has resigned. Alosi was suspended indefinitely and fined $25,000 for tripping Miami special-teamer Nolan Carroll during a game on Dec. 13 and for setting up a sideline wall of inactive players to impede Dolphin gunners. Coach Rex Ryan and special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff repeatedly denied knowledge of Alosi’s actions.
From the Jets’ release: “After speaking with Sal, he decided that it is best for him to tender his resignation at this time,” said GM Mike Tannenbaum. “We appreciate all of Sal’s contributions during his tenure with the team. He played an invaluable role in our success and established what we feel is one of the better strength and conditioning programs in the NFL.”
Named head strength and conditioning coach in 2007, Alosi ends his second stint with the Jets after serving as the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2002-05. He spent the 2006 season as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Atlanta Falcons. Alosi played college football at Hofstra from 1996-2000 and served as the school’s assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2001.
“I’m thankful to have been a part of the New York Jets,” said Alosi. “I am especially grateful to Mr. Johnson, Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan for allowing me the opportunity to be a head strength and conditioning coach in this League. I have many fond memories, including earning my first NFL job in 2002. After the events that have transpired, I feel it’s best for my family and me to look for a fresh start. I wish nothing but the best for the entire organization.”

About

J.P. PELZMAN joined The Record in April 1998. He began his career at the Ocean County Observer in Toms River, where he spent one year before leaving for Newsday on Long Island. At The Record, he was the primary backup on the New York Jets’ beat for nine seasons, from 1998-2006, before becoming the beat writer in 2007. Pelzman also has been The Record’s beat writer for Seton Hall men’s basketball since the 2002-03 season.